Caymanas Park

Caymanas Park in St. Catherine, approximately 10 miles west of Kingston, is Jamaica's only thoroughbred racecourse and one of the Caribbean's most historically significant racing venues. Opened in 1959 when Jamaican racing moved from the old Kingston track to a modern purpose-built facility, Caymanas Park has operated continuously for over 65 years and is the undisputed centrepiece of Jamaican sporting culture — racing in Jamaica attracts a passionate and knowledgeable betting public that is unusual for a market of Jamaica's size, with betting shops widespread across the island and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) operating a pari-mutuel pool system that generates substantial revenues relative to the country's population. The track operates on a dirt surface (Jamaica's climate and soil conditions have always made turf maintenance impractical) and runs meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays year-round. The Jamaica Derby — run over 12 furlongs on the first Saturday in August — is the island's most prestigious race and one of the Caribbean's oldest Classic races. Jamaica's membership of the Clásico del Caribe gives its racing an international dimension, and Jamaican horses have competed at tracks in the US, Barbados, Trinidad, and Panama with varying success. The Caymanas Park development programme has periodically discussed the possibility of upgrading the facility to include a turf course, but the project has not been completed.